By Neil Farrell

A Cayucos man has doubled down on a high finish in a World Championship shooting competition, going from a third-place finish back in October to winning a title in November.
Trenton Mitsuoka, 34, was the overall winner in the Rimfire Rifle Open Division contest at the World Shooting Championships, a.k.a. The Steel Challenge, held at the Hogue Pistol Range off Hwy 1 between Cuesta College and Morro Bay. The range is next to the San Luis Sportsmen’s shooting range.
Mitsuoka said he finished first in the rifle Open Division, fifth in the Rimfire Pistol Division and seventh in the Iron Sight Revolver shoot. A relative newcomer to the sport of quick shooting, Mitsuoka, had taken third overall and second in the Open Division at the 2015 National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Rimfire Challenge World Championships, held Oct. 10-11 in Fort Smith, Ark.
Rimfire refers to .22-cal. rifles and pistols, which like with larger caliber competitions, used soft lead bullets to avoid ricochets. With seven targets, the objective is to hit all the targets firing as quickly as you can.
Mitsuoka is a videographer by trade, and a semi-professional shooter, he told The Bay News. He’s a former martial artist, and grew up competing in judo, where he earned the rank of second degree black belt and won multiple junior and youth national titles. Seems that competitive spirit followed him into competitive shooting.
“I started competitive shooting about 3-years ago,” he told The Bay News. “I grew up doing judo and trained a lot. I found that shooting guns is just like doing judo, requiring all the same skills. Hand-eye coordination, hand dexterity, and fast reflexes are required for both sports.”
Mitsuoka is sponsored by Apex Tactical Specialties, Inc., Hogue, Inc., Allchin Gun Parts, and recently joined Tactical Solutions, he said.
You could say that he’s now caught the competition bug in his new chosen sport. “I can’t wait until next season!” he said. “I’m making plans to travel to events all over the U.S. and hopefully overseas next year.”
Taking second in Rimfire Division at the November worlds was Kurt Grimes and third was John Allchin. The overall champion was Max Michel according to the WSSC website (see: www.worldspeedshoot.com/2015-wssc), setting a world record in the process and earning the official title of “Steel Master.” Michel won the Open and Production Divisions, setting the record in the Production Division. He also took top honors in the Rimfire Pistol Division, setting a new world record in the process.
Top woman shooter was Jessie Duff who won the ladies open and limited divisions and the Rimfire pistol shoot.
The World Championships return to the Hogue range next Aug. 25-27. Spectators are welcome and advised to wear eye and hearing protection.